Set Sail on the “For Real” Love Boat

If you’re as old as we are, you may have spent part of your childhood with Captain Stubing, Gopher, and Julie, the Cruise Director. Thought I’m sure we’d find this show mostly cringe-worthy now, why not join us as we set said on the “For Real” Love Boat – the Emerald Princess? Come aboard! We’ll find out together if it is really exciting and new.

Quick Catch Up

In case you missed it, we had the opportunity to go on our very first cruise with our wonderful friends, Jerry and Shannon. We went on a pre-cruise shopping spree and decided to upgrade our voyage with the balcony room and the combo Wi-Fi / drink package.

The Arrival

As this was my first time to a shipping port, I realized that I was holding an unrealistic, glamorous expectation of what that scene would be like. It was actually less like White Lotus, where well dressed, pretty people stood in uniforms and welcomed you aboard.

And it was way more like Lethal Weapon 2, where there were lots of rusty shipping containers that likely held contraband and served as a back drop for nefarious activities.

Pre-Boarding

The welcome aboard experience didn’t get any more glamourous as we made our way through the security line. We picked up our medallions (like room keys) from a row of Princess personnel standing behind a bank of computers. And before we could actually board, we waited in a tiny room with a vending machine, reminiscent of a hospital waiting room.

We then crossed a small, gangplank to the actual ship. But once we were on, the magic began. It was like something out of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Talk about a Lobby

I LOVE a good lobby! And check out the view with which we were greeted. This lobby space would serve as a central hub for evening events like dancing, musical guests and even a champage waterfall.

Exploring our New World

Since we were on earlier than many of the guests, we had the opportunity to get the lay of the land…or of the ship, I guess, before we had to work around our fellow travelers.

The Fiesta Deck

The restaurant we visited every night was on Deck 6, or the Fiesta Deck. Besides “our” restaurant, there was another large dining room, shops, and the casino.

Strolling on the Promenade

Every night, we would stop at deck 7, the Promenade, for a pre-dinner cocktail at Crooners and some live music. After dinner we could stop at Club Fusion for a comedy show, the Adventurer’s Lounge for trivia or the Princess Theater for a production. Since we wanted to see just how great the theater was, I decided to check out the view from the stage.

Sun Deck and Beyond

The upper decks is where the pools, outdoor movie theater and the spa are located. We all took the spa tour shortly after hopping on board. You see, everyone who takes that tour gets entered in a raffle for free spa services. We won a couples massage. Woo-hoo!

Last Stop – The Liegghio Suite

The last stop we made was our room. We heard that staterooms on ships are notoriously small, so we made sure not to set expectations too high. But, look at this beautiful space!

Day 1 Itineary

So our first day we accomplished all we set out to:

• We found our room
• We took the spa tour
• We won a couples massage
• We found our restaurant for dinner
• We hit the pool
• And we had some frozen margaritas

Not a bad start to our 10 days away! In all our time there, I never found Captain Stubing or Doc. I did, however, meet the cruise director. His name was Lloyd, he was British, and he was a lot of fun.

So the “For Real” Love Boat?

Yep, the Emerald Princess is the actual ship they used for the exterior shots of the Love Boat. As far as the interior goes, I couldn’t find anything that jogged my memory as being part of the show. However, the ship did provide a streaming channel which was all Love Boat all the time in case you wanted to be sure.

Visiting the Bahamas and St. Thomas

Join us next time for a look at the white sands of the Bahamas and for some snorkeling with sea turtles in St. Thomas. (Also, I went off script and found my way to a little pirate treasure!) If you don’t want to miss a minute, be sure to join our tribe! And as always, you can follow us in real time on Instagram at The__Travel__Oracle. Until next time, mon!